Key facts
- Operator
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Condition
- Ruin
- Access
- Free, open access
Pinpoint
Skipness, Tarbert PA29 6XT
Website www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/skipness-castle-and-chapel
Possible Opening hours
Opening times change. Always check the official website before you travel.
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
A free castle on the Kintyre peninsula with a history reaching back to the 1200s, its 18th-century tower still substantially intact and open for visitors to climb to the roof. A ruined chapel a short walk away, with old tombstones by the shore, is worth the detour on its own.
Worth the trip
The view from the tower roof — reviewers rate the sightline across to Arran and Lochranza as the payoff for the climb up.
Before you go
Don't skip the chapel just along from the castle — several reviewers rate it as fascinating in its own right — and the site is accessible enough for visitors with mobility difficulties, according to reviewers who brought an elderly relative.
Reviewers consistently recommend Skipness Castle and Chapel as a free, quiet stop, praising the ability to climb the tower for commanding views and the separate chapel nearby with its interesting old gravestones. Staff are noted as welcoming and accommodating, including for visitors with mobility difficulties, and no drawbacks are mentioned.
Free castle with 16th-century tower house, Kintyre
“Super little gem just off the ferry. Very quiet and do take a trip to the chapel which has some interesting tombstones.”— Jeannette Warr, visitor review
